COSMIC RADIATION EXPOSURE TO THE AUSTRALIAN PUBLIC

Abstract

A component of natural background radiation is exposure to galactic cosmic radiation (GCR). Annual GCR doses to the Australian public at ground levels and at altitudes of commercial domestic and international flights were estimated using the cosmic radiation dose modelling tool CARI-6. The annual population weighted average dose to Australians from GCR was estimated to be 342 μSv, of which 14.7 μSv (5%) was from domestic travel, 30.7 μSv (10%) was from international travel and 297 μSv (85%) of the dose was received at ground level. This study showed that critical population groups that are frequent flyers may exceed reference levels where additional awareness or protection should be considered. The GCR dose portion is ~25% of the total annual background radiation dose received by the Australian public.